This Episode is Sponsored by Snugghug
Did you know 80% of your immune system lives in your gut - and your baby gets theirs from you? Whether you had a vaginal birth or a C-section, breastfed or formula fed, this episode is going to change the way you think about your baby's health from day one.
Trish sits down with Cheryl Hoy, CEO and founder of Tiny Health, the first at-home microbiome testing company for moms and babies. Cheryl's journey started with her own breech C-section birth and a mission to understand what that meant for her daughter's long-term health. What she found led her to build a company backed by scientists from Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and UCSF - and to become one of the loudest voices reminding moms that their birth mode isn't the end of the story. Trish and Cheryl dig into the science of the vaginal, gut, and skin microbiomes, why laboring (even before a C-section) still matters, and how the first 1,000 days of life set the stage for your child's immune system for years to come. This one is equal parts science lesson and permission slip - you are not powerless, no matter how your baby arrived earthside.
What You'll Learn Inside This Episode:
- Why babies born vaginally have a different gut microbiome than babies born via C-section - and how that connects to the "atopic march" (eczema → food allergies → asthma → hay fever)
- Why laboring - even if it ends in a C-section - still seeds your baby's microbiome with beneficial bacteria
- How vaginal exams during labor can introduce antibiotic-resistant hospital bacteria to your baby
- Why dads contribute up to 20% of a baby's microbiome in the first year (and even more with a C-section birth )
- What actually happens when you order a Tiny Health test, and how simple the process really is
- Why "failure to progress" might have less to do with your body and more to do with how supported you felt in the room
- How feeding mode (breast vs. formula) is the #1 most impactful lever for course-correcting gut health after a C-section
- Why the first 1,000 days - conception through age 2-3 - is the critical window for immune training, and what you can actually do about it
More from Tiny Health:
Thanks to our Sponsor Snugghug: Grab the Snugghug Nursing Cover and Nursing Shirt and use code 'LNMAMA10' for 10% off!
Mentioned in this episode:
- The VBAC Lab - Trish's course for vaginal birth after C-section
Helpful Timestamps:
- 00:00 Meet Cheryl from Tiny Health
- 07:04 What Is The Microbiome
- 12:46 Course Correcting In Early Life
- 19:07 Results, Support, And Dad’s Role
- 20:26 Microbiome Roles at Birth
- 23:07 Fighting for Breech Birth
- 33:30 Tiny Health Mission and Testing
- 36:09 Research Results and Future Care
- 37:26 Where to Find Tiny Health
Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!
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Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services
